


The Rockstar and the Roadie

by salesman



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Rock Band, F/M, Fluff, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-23
Updated: 2015-10-23
Packaged: 2018-04-27 17:09:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5056909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/salesman/pseuds/salesman
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Dorian can no longer play keyboard for their band, Ellana Lavellan reluctantly recruits a quiet roadie named Solas as his replacement.</p><p>Modern AU one-shot where Inquisition is a rock band.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Rockstar and the Roadie

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Maizzy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maizzy/gifts).



> This was inspired by Maizzy's [gorgeous painting](http://maizzycakes.tumblr.com/post/131623698332/original-line-art-by-thetaiwanesedartjob-bless) that makes Solas look like a total rockstar.

Ellana Lavellan wiped the sweat from her brow the minute she stepped backstage. Another successful show, and another night of endless driving through the Hinterlands to their next gig. She wasn’t looking forward to their cramped tour bus, no matter how much Josie claimed it was the latest and greatest. She was sick of their tour.

A man examining an amp caught her eye, and she narrowed her gaze with suspicion. Who was he? She thought he looked familiar—something about how the red lights reflected off his bald head felt like deja vu—but she couldn’t place him. And Ellana didn’t like dubious persons backstage. It reminded her too clearly of Justinia’s death from that mysterious explosion during one of her own shows. A legend gone in an instant.

Dorian passed by her, and Ellana yanked him by his sleeve. “Hey,” she whispered, “who is that guy?”

Her keyboardist quirked a brow. “You really don’t remember Solas? Even though he’s been at every show?”

Ellana shrugged. It wasn’t like the guy stood out or anything. Except for that reflective head, she supposed.

Dorian clicked his tongue disapprovingly. “Oh, Ellana, the fame has really gotten to you, hasn’t it?” He shook his head. “He’s one of the roadies. Solas.”

Ellana squinted her eyes at him. Roadie? Slowly, she recalled several memories of him backstage, tuning instruments and adjusting amplifiers. And then she remembered handing her own guitar to the quiet technician. Oops.

Maybe the fame really was getting to her.

 

* * *

 

“I need to return to Tevinter for a few weeks,” Dorian announced as they rode in the tour bus driving to Val Royeaux.

Ellana shot up immediately from her seat, nearly knocking over her water bottle. “What? When?”

Dorian sighed and looked up from his phone. “Immediately. I’ll take a flight out from VRX.”

Ellana dropped on her knees and clasped her hands together. “Please, Dorian! This is the biggest show we’ve ever have, and possibly the biggest show we’ll ever have! You can’t abandon us!” she begged.

Dorian closed his eyes. “I know.” He rubbed his temples and let out a frustrated exhale. “My father needs me. I wouldn’t go if it wasn’t necessary.” He sighed again.

How would the band go on?

“That roadie, Solas, knows how to play keyboard,” Dorian suggested as he scrolled through his phone, looking at flights. “And he already knows our songs, so he can cover for me.”

Worry frustrated her mind as she considered his proposition. Replace Dorian with... this  _roadie_?

Their band was called Inquisition, and Ellana was the lead vocalist and guitar. They were a group of only four, but she never thought they needed more. Ellana had Dorian on keys, Bull kicking on the drums, and Sera absolutely killing it with her bass.

And allegedly, Ellana’s voice was unlike any other of the decade. It was what had gotten them their record deal, what had gotten them this sold-out show of fifty thousand people, and what had changed all of their lives.

But without Dorian at such an important event for the band, would they even go on any further?

Ellana didn’t trust this Solas. He was a roadie, not a rockstar. What if he cracked under the pressure? What if he forgot the melody or made a mistake so obvious, they would lose credibility as live performers forever?

Ellana crossed her arms and tapped her fingers along her tattooed skin, examining this  _Solas_. “Do you have our set memorized? Do you know about the expanded bridges? The changes in time signature for the live version of ‘The Conclave’?” Ellana interrogated.

The man seemed unfazed by her questions. “Yes,” he answered to all, and Ellana realized it was the first time she had ever heard his voice. “Dorian and I have often discussed the precise settings for each song.” He met her gaze unflinchingly. “You need not concern yourself.”

Her mouth dropped open in outrage. The nerve of this guy!

“Listen,” she said, stepping closer like a predator, “I’ve worked hard for this, okay? And I’m not about to let some random roadie ruin it all!”

Solas blinked at her with an expression so unaffected, she wondered if he might be partially deaf. Another reason to distrust him.

“I am a musician,” he corrected, and then he turned on his heel and left her to gape after him.

Ellana would have screamed if they didn’t have a show to perform later.  _The_  show. The show that would probably ruin her career. And life.

 

* * *

 

The bottle made a clinking noise as she set it on the table before Solas. Ellana settled in across from him at their tiny bus table, careful to hold her own beverage in case of any precarious bumps in the road.

“I’ve got to hand it to you, Solas,” she said, shaking her head with a smile. “You play some wicked keys.”

“Thank you.” The corners of his mouth curled into the smallest smile she’d ever seen, but it could not be mistaken for anything else. He twisted off the cap of the beer and angled it to take a sip.

“Wait!” Ellana said, holding up a hand to point to her own bottle. “A toast!” She wobbled to an awkward standing position in her seat, one leg touching the ground while her knee still rested on the cushion. “To the best show Inquisition has ever had!”

Everyone on the bus cheered and drank from their bottles. The band manager came to Ellana’s side then. “Maryden might want to collaborate on the next album with us,” Josie whispered. “After the success of tonight’s show, we may even have a worldwide tour!”

Ellana smiled at Solas across the table from her. Maybe when Dorian came back, the band could have  _two_  keyboardists.

 

* * *

 

They finally had a day off, but Ellana couldn’t get a melody out of her head, so she stayed in the bus while everyone checked out the city. She sat hunched over her guitar, twanging away and writing down any notes that worked. She would have liked to stretch her legs and traverse the streets of Redcliffe, but Ellana never let any song ideas go to waste.

And this wasn’t a bad one. It could be their next hit, if she could get the harmony right.

“Perhaps you should try it another key,” Solas suggested.

Ellana jumped from his voice. Had he been here the whole time?

“Another key?” she asked. “What did you have in mind?”

He smiled, something he’d been doing more frequently in the past few weeks as they’d gotten to know each other in Dorian’s absence. Solas took the seat beside her and leaned over the instrument. “May I?” he requested, holding his palms out for the guitar.

Ellana nodded and handed it over. She watched as he strummed away, playing the exact chords she had in another key, without even needing to look at her handwritten notes. He was right. It was just what the song needed.

“You play guitar too?” Ellana asked.

Solas shrugged and handed the instrument back to her. “Not like you.” He grinned, and suddenly Ellana’s heart began to beat like a dance remix.

Solas leaned back in his chair and gazed out the window. They had parked in a random lot near the city center, and everyone else had hopped off to every corner of Redcliffe.

“Not a fan of the city?” Ellana set down her guitar.

He looked back at her. “No, quite the contrary. I find exploring new cities highly inspirational. I simply wondered why you had remained.”

“Oh.” She pursed her lips together as her face grew warm. “So... do you want to grab dinner or something?”

Solas smiled. “That sounds like an excellent idea.”

 

* * *

 

“Dorian! You made it!” Ellana cheered as she flung her arms around him.

“Did you really think I would miss the final tour party?” he replied. “How else would I bask in the glory while only performing half the time?”

Ellana laughed, and they walked back into the lounge together.

“How did our roadie do, Ellana? Was any show interrupted due to him suddenly tuning your guitar onstage?”

“Ah, he was great! So, so, so, so  _great_!” Ellana cooed, swaying a bit as they passed more people she didn’t know.

Dorian raised a brow. “How much have you had to drink, Ellana?”

“Dorian, I’m not drunk! I’m happy!” she argued. Ellana fell into a seat of an empty booth.

Dorian narrowed his eyes on her in disbelief, but eventually shook his head and said, “Well, I need to do a round. See all the people who missed my beautiful face, yes?” And he disappeared into the crowd.

Ellana twirled the ice cubes in her glass with a straw and took another sip. The tour had been amazing, and now she was starting to feel that emptiness sink in at its end. No more crowds, no more fans singing and calling her name, no more travelling. Life would feel so much quieter now.

A body plopped down on the cushion beside her, and she turned to see Solas, looking inordinately appealing this evening.

He asked her something with wry smile, but the music was too loud for Ellana to hear.

“What?” she shouted, cupping a hand to her ear.

Solas repeated his question, but still the music engulfed his voice.

“Why don’t...”—she tugged him closer by the arm—“...sit closer?” Ellana edged towards him until their thighs were pressed together. “Now, what did you say?” she whispered in his ear.

Solas’ jaw tensed as he swallowed. “I asked if you were enjoying yourself,” he repeated quietly.

“I am, now that my favorite band member is here,” she smiled.

“Band member? I thought now that Dorian had returned...”

Ellana shook her head with a little too much vigor. “No,” she retorted. “We shall have two keyboardists now, I have declared it!”

Solas chuckled, and she felt the weight of him lean closer. “Perhaps you should deliberate with your other members before making such decisions.”

It would be difficult to add another band member, that much was certain. But Solas was so talented, and she had grown used to his clever remarks and insightful conversation in the last two months. Would he just go back to being a roadie now that Dorian was here? That felt... wrong.

“So how do you feel now that the tour is over?” Ellana asked, changing the subject completely.

Solas smiled and took a sip of his drink. “Accomplished,” he answered. “To be on such a large stage, watched by thousands who love the music so passionately... It is quite a feeling.”

“I know what you mean,” Ellana sighed. “And now life feels so empty and alone.”

Solas’ hand moved to where Ellana’s rested on her knee. He laced their fingers together. “You are never alone, Ellana.”

She laid her head against his shoulder. “Thank you, Solas.”

Ellana didn’t have any more drinks that night. She felt content enough to sit by Solas, talking about their tour and plans for the future. She didn’t want to admit it, but Ellana felt closer to him now than any other band member. Solas just  _got_  her, in the music-way, in the people-way, in the  _everything_ -way, and that was a companionship hard to find ever since their band had entered the limelight.

When most of the party had moved to another nightclub, and the lounge announced its closure, Ellana and Solas returned to their hotel together.

“Good night, Ellana,” he said as they both stood outside her hotel room.

“Wait, Solas.” Ellana stopped him by the arm. “Even if Dorian is back, I don’t think you should be a roadie again. You’re just too...” Talented? Important? Needed? She struggled to find the right word.

And her mind went completely blank as their gazes locked on to one another’s. Two months ago Ellana didn’t even know who this guy was, and now he was like her best friend, an integral part of her team, her life.

And she  _might_  just be in love with him.

Solas arched a brow while looking down at her. “...Too?” he asked, stepping closer.

Ellana grabbed his jacket to pull him towards her. “...Far away,” she murmured before kissing him with enough force that he nearly fell backwards.

But Solas only hesitated a moment before he wrapped his arms around her. He felt so new and exciting, and yet their lips moved in perfect harmony. His touch vibrated through her whole body, and Ellana felt so high, like it was after a show and the whole world was cheering her name.

She pulled away, breath ragged and laughing. “You know...” Ellana said, playing with the edge of his jacket, “I have a big fancy suite with a bed much too huge for one person...”

Solas raised his eyebrows. “It would be a shame for such luxury to go to waste,” he smirked.

Ellana giggled and led him into her room. Oh, yes. Definitely the best tour  _ever_.

**Author's Note:**

> So much writer's block lately, goshhh! But that painting was just too inspiring to ignore. :D


End file.
